There’s nothing funny about what Jewish comics have faced in the post-Oct. 7 world.
One of the first targets was Jerry Seinfeld, arguably the least offensive comic of his generation. Seinfeld has endured repeated interruptions while on tour and in public from pro-Palestinian disruptors.
Roughly two years ago, he attended a Bari Weiss-led event dubbed “State of World Jewry” in Manhattan when protesters jeered at him, calling him a “genocide supporter.”
The legendary comic later faced on-stage harassment. He was able to take the heckling in stride, as he did when mocking protesters in a June 2024 appearance at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
“We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen. He solved the Middle East,” he taunted one agitator. Then, in a serious aside, he added: “It’s the Jewish comedians; that’s what we have to get.”
The continuing attacks haven’t silenced him. Last September, he spoke at a Duke University event where he compared those screaming “free Palestine” to the KKK.
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At least those shows went on as scheduled, and the star wasn’t in physical danger. Jewish actor/comedian Michael Rapaport cannot say the same after several nerve-wracking appearances.
The “Atypical” star’s comedy tour was derailed in both Birmingham, Ala. and Chicago. Both venues cited “safety” concerns for the cancellations, including death threats.
When Rapaport played Comedy Works South in Denver in October, the venue wanded patrons before they entered the club, an atypical experience at that venue.
(I attended the October show in question: I had been to that club roughly 10 times in recent years without ever being screened by security.)
The media seem totally uninterested in the obvious antisemitism. When a black celebrity receives death threats for, say, a race-neutral casting decision, the news spreads like digital wildfire.
Consider the negative reaction to black actor Paapa Essiedu, slated to play Professor Snape in the HBO Max “Harry Potter” series.
Why didn’t the press recoil over death threats to Rapaport? What about an Antifa-led effort to cancel the comic’s shows in Portland, Ore., two years ago? That effort failed, but local police scrambled to protect patrons after protesters antagonized patrons and set off fireworks near the venue, according to independent journalist Andy Ngo.
In July, two Jewish comedians had their appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival canceled under dubious circumstances. Rachel Creeger and Philip Simon lost their gigs due to staffers reportedly feeling “unsafe.”
Simon reported being told that his “views concerning the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Palestine are in significant conflict with our venue’s stance against the current Israeli government’s policy and actions,” according to his Instagram account.
Simon called the issue “emblematic of the problem facing Jewish artists and performers in the UK today.”
Creeger shared, via Jewish News, that many Jewish performers have faced antisemitism in the entertainment industry.
“I’ve seen threads on social media targeting Jewish performers and warning them that Zionists are not welcome, that they should beware of setting foot in Edinburgh.”
Israeli comedian Guy Hochman saw his January gig at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills canceled by the venue. The owners allegedly asked him to denounce Israeli actions in Gaza, according to Screening Services Group President Michael Hall. Hochman refused. That, plus multiple threats, sparked the cancellation.
The venue later backpedaled, apologized and invited him back to perform.
Stand-up veteran Judy Gold, author of “Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians We Are All in Trouble,” experienced something similar earlier this month. Gold shared on social media a stage snippet where a patron at New York Comedy Club shouted back to her, “You’re a Jew,” before he was escorted from the building.
She says that kind of outburst hadn’t happened to her on stage before. Something similar occurred days later at a second New York venue.
The most recent example comes from NBC’s venerable “Saturday Night Live,” a mainstream comedy showcase. Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che, commenting on the Iran war, unleashed one of the oldest and ugliest Jewish tropes.
“There is growing confusion [over] whether Israel being allowed to continue bombing Lebanon was part of the ceasefire with Iran,” he said. “Ultimately, that decision comes down to the man controlling our military — Benjamin Netanyahu.”
Where is the outrage, either from the comedy community or the entertainment press? If we haven’t heard it yet, it’s likely not happening soon.
First, they came for the Jewish comedians, and we all know what follows. It’s not a punch line.
Christian Toto is the founder of HollywoodInToto.com and the host of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast.
